Seems an eon since the Games were here in this beautiful (tawdry), livable (insufferable) city, doesn’t it?

That really was a moment.

Memba?

Memba? We truly invited the world those few weeks, and revelled in all the hokum and flag-waving and “Look at us, we’re Canadians and we’re kind of awesome” of the whole thing.

Yeah, this time feels a little different.

We’ll get to the Games in a bit, and I promise I won’t keep you long on that topic.

But first, let’s get Skating.

Yanni Gourde scores his 20th of the season on Anders Nilsson.

The Home Team

Sorry, Canucks fans. Called it about 10 minutes in: The game was still tied at zero, and I told whoever was listening in the newsroom — let’s be honest, probably no one — that was going to be the high point of the night for the Canucks.

So deep, is Tampa. Gourde made his Lightning leap a year ago, Erne’s getting his second taste and obviously up to the challenge, Matthew Peca’s coming along nicely … Tampa, in a perfect world, is what the Canucks’ future looks like.

The Canucks, however, don’t have two guys in their 20s — the aforementioned Stamkos and Kucherov, who’s a disgustingly youthful 24 — putting up 60+ points so far to anchor the thing.

The Canucks, in fact, have one guy on the whole team with more than 40. Guess who?

— Speaking of Brock Boeser, his highlight came after the Canucks were effectively done for the night.

Well, if you read The Provies, the Canucks were done before this one even started, which means Botch called it earlier than this eternal pessimist did.

— This one snuck up on me. We’re close to watching a major milestone for Alex Edler.

Hey, one more non-tank reason to watch down the stretch!

Tonight marked 3rd time in last 10GP Alex Edler had 2 assists. Now has 2G,18A for #Canucks after putting up 21 PTS last season. Edler is now 5 points shy of tying Mattias Ohlund for @Canucks all-time leader among D-men (325).

Around the NHL

— Kind of ashamed to admit this: I’ve started hate-watching Mathew Barzal’s stats. Been keeping a tab open on my phone of the rookie scoring race, cheering every time the Isles’ newcomer fails to log a point.

In that indefensible regard, there was much to cheer this week, as Barzal was skunked in two straight games against the Preds and Sabres, despite New York collecting seven goals in those losses.

OK, we’ll make an exception here: Totally fine if Mathew Barzal gets points against the Leafs.

Still, it feels a bit wrong: Barzal is a good Coquitlam kid and the guy I’m rooting for hails from the U.S. Midwest. How about this: Can they split the vote and share the Calder?

Wait, is that even a thing? Not yet, and not bloody likely statistically speaking.

Yes, I checked. Mind you, in 1963 the Calder winner, Kent Douglas, only received a single point more than second-place Doug Barkley in the vote by hockey writers.

— Those Golden Knights. Have I mentioned the latest? Wrapping a six-game road trip (including a gruelling 7,000 miles of travel), they fell behind the not-so-shabby Sharks in San Jose, then turned on the afterburners in the third and went on to win 5-3. Sheesh.

Still just one point back of the Lightning for first overall in the league. Just amazing.

Olympian disinterest

So the Winter Games are getting into gear as we speak, with the opening ceremonies at some ungodly hour. (OK, I confirmed, they began at 3 goddamn a.m.)

But the time zone is the least of these Games’ issues. After the NHL snubbed the hockey tourney, and Russia essentially demolished the amateur sports movement, again, by squeezing a whole pack of cheaters back into the competition, these are the Unanticipated Olympics.

Who you got? There are maybe a few we’ll root for in passing. Mark McMorris and Denny Morrison both battled back from horrific, near-fatal injuries to be in South Korea. Those guys will get my 15 minutes when they compete.

Around the NFL

“Soldier. Colt. Simple man,” stuck in the Civil War era but continuing to do battle with his men and send missives home to mom.

Dearest mother —I write with most distressful news. The men have been hoodwinked. The deserter McDaniels is on the lamb, likely headed toward New England, my best scouts report. Was this a ploy to merely spy? We shall never know. Irritating.— Andrew

The Texas Rangers held his minor-league rights but traded them to New York this week, giving him a chance to putter around with the team at spring training and fulfil a lifelong dream.

He doesn’t, however, plan to follow Deion Sanders in a full-time pursuit of being a two-sport star. (Or, for that matter, the beautifully named Hinkey Haines, who is the only player ever to win both an NFL and MLB championship.)

Yep, excellent, and shows Foles as a man of sterling character and moral integrity. But part of me still wishes he’d just gone:

“Boom went the dynamite. Suck it, Brady!”

Boom went the Cavs

Speaking of dynamite, LeBron’s team got an extreme makeover after falling into ruin in recent weeks. They just got faster and, most important, younger — but it might be too little too late in a league that still has those Warriors.

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